England Unveiled

These photographs are only some of the photos I took on our trip to England this summer. Since it is Halloween I thought I would share some of the more eerie ones. - JW  

                                                              Churchyard in Wye

                                                                   Leeds Castle 

                                                                  Leeds Castle

                                                                    Canterbury

                                                            Highgate Cemetery 

                                                       Highgate Cemetery 

                                                                           Highgate

                                                        Tower Bridge, London

                                                           Victoria Park, Kent 

                                                                     Ramsgate

                                                            Highgate Cemetery

                                                           Lighthouse, Kent 

The Victorian Undertaker and The Victorian Cemetery

These two books came from Highgate Cemetery. I was intrigued to find books on such subjects. Then again at some point I wanted to be a mortician when I grew up. The books are insightful and make you wonder what life was like back then. In the Victoria era death... or funerals were such rituals and sometimes pageantry was not reserved for the wealth of kings or queens. There was protocol which lent to the meticulous details and  the method of mourning. Interesting! - JW 

Susan Aldworth: The Portrait Anatomised

We kept popping in and out of art galleries on the trip to England. Susan Aldworth's installation, The Portrait Anatomised, I found quite profound. It was tucked away just down the hall from the Duchess of Cambridge's official portrait. In it's own separate little room, baring three walls. All three walls had just about ceiling to floor art pieces. I marvelled at the contrast and the depth of such an installation. When leaving the gallery we stopped by the gift shop, found and purchased the book regarding her installation. It was the last copy they had. Number 237/750.     

It comes with three fold outs and a booklet detailing The Portrait Anatomised. To find out more about Susan Aldworth's The Portrait Anatomised go to the National Portrait Gallery website and search Susan Aldworth or you can click *HERE* . - JW 

England certainly has come full circle. Thanks to Andy Murray and the birth of the Royal baby.  

Hot weather was plenty! So being seaside on a hot +37 degree day left me sunburnt. Collecting seashells was a novel idea. Had a fabulous ploughman's at the Old Bell pub in Rye. A blue rooster marked the ever changing plinth. Saw the nortorious official portrait of the Duchess of Cambridge up close. Hamleys was an absolute mad house. The castles of choice were Leed's minus the 90's wax figures and the Tower of London which held no prisoners. Shared a bottle of champagne at the Victoria pub with a dear friend. Visiting Highgate Cemetery sent chills up and down my spine. A mini steam train provided a brief mode of transportation. Popped into two tucked away art galleries in Canterbury. Watched the riveting football test match, England vs. Scotland... England won! Savoured a refreshing Pimm's after a long walk in the countryside. The Saatchi/Lawson divorce was over soon after the plane touched down. Royal shocker... Fergie, the Duchess of York, was spotted at Balmoral. And... Anti-Fracking was the word! - jw    

And I'm off...

It's vacation time again and you guessed it we are off to England! It has been really hot weather wise over in Old Blighty, so we are looking forward to some sort of summer. Enjoy the next few weeks because I know I am! - JW  

© photo by Jacqueline Williams. 

one would like to say that not much had changed in the past two years since visiting England last, however this year was marked with the Queen's Diamond Jubilee and London was the host city for the Olympics and the Paralympics. 

Although i arrived the day before the closing ceremonies of the Olympics, those Olympic mascots were popping up everywhere, flags flew high in support of England and the Union Jack for all. bunting decorated shop windows, homes, pubs, gardens, packaging and products. the Victoria and Albert museum bookshop was the place to be. the Albert Monument across from the Royal Albert Hall left me in total awestruck!!! the Twinings Tea Shop/Museum is a tea totallers delight. had a unforgettable delectable meal at Fortnum and Masons. took in a gin distillery tour with Sipsmith. pubs were the places to eat. ploughmans were the menu item of choice. cracked open a bottle with friends at the Harvey Nichols champagne bar and then headed to Cafe Rouge for a meal. not before spotting the Julian Assange supporters outside Ecuador's Embassy. Ellen Terry's House/Museum was enchanting. viewing her death mask was haunting! Sissinghurst Castle was a garden of delights. the 99's fluctuated in price from £1.40p to £2.20. Winchelsea was full of book fairs and i had the best latté there oh... and of course another Royal scandal. Keep Calm and Harry On is all one can say. England was England!  -jw